


Someone to Lean On

by xavwrites



Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Rekka no Ken | Fire Emblem: Blazing Sword
Genre: Comfort, Fluff, M/M, Mild Hurt/Comfort, shippy stuff between OHO! and the orange soda lord
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-09
Updated: 2018-05-09
Packaged: 2019-05-04 05:54:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,358
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14586411
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xavwrites/pseuds/xavwrites
Summary: Eliwood falls ill during a trip home and decides to rest at Ostia before returning to Pherae. Hector decides to take it upon himself to be his caregiver, despite knowing almost next to nothing about it.





	Someone to Lean On

A cold breeze blew through all of Lycia tonight, a rarity for a place that normally sees warmer weather. Families gathered firewood and amassed layers upon layers of blankets just to make it through the night. Essentially, everyone had already retired to their abodes for supper, most fixing up a nice, hot meal to compensate the coming frigid air.

Likewise, at Castle Ostia, its Marquess was busying away preparing a particular bowl of soup in the kitchen. Except this one included repeated fumbling and a repeated use of swears.

"Damn it... since when did cooking soup become a battle for the ages!?" Hector fumed, all the while adding the remaining grains into the broth. One could see utensils and plates (and even his own axe) scattered about the floor, alongside several messy puddles due to him not being careful with the pot. Just as on the battlefield, he somehow managed to make an entire spectacle of everything.

Amidst the chaos brewing in the kitchen, Oswin peeked from behind the door, clearly concerned after hearing the ruckus from the other room. "Lord Hector, are you... ahem... doing fine over there?"

"Fine, I'm just fine, Oswin. There's no need to worry about me; besides, I've almost finished with the soup here." The texture looked mushy and the taste was rather sour, but at the very least, it was still edible. Well, seemingly edible. After quelling the flames beneath the pot, Hector leaned on a nearby table and let out an exasperated sigh. "... this. This is why I should never be allowed in a kitchen."

Shaking his head with a bemused chuckle, Oswin walked inside and figured to help clean up the aftermath of the Hector storm. "Ah, but I recall you saying that you wanted to do this. A personal favor for Lord Eliwood, correct?"

"... well. Yeah, I guess."

Hector and Eliwood had recently returned from Ilia after assisting Fiora handle a dispute between its mercenaries. Naturally, it was much colder this year in the country than usual, so much so that Hector was led to believe the damned breeze followed them home to Lycia, effectively sweeping across Elibe. But above all of that, his friend began suffering from a cold during the journey back, prompting him to have Eliwood rest first before heading back to Pherae.

It's obviously not the first time Eliwood ever fell ill in his life, though others may not have been aware that he often showed signs of being a sickly person overall. He trained hard and was no clear slouch in swordplay, but his body was still rather frail. There have been several instances where fellow troops and colleagues urged him to not physically stress himself that much and leave the action to them. Nevertheless, the man's determined heart allowed him to persist through their past trials.

But Hector wasn't going to have any of it despite Eliwood's claim that he would've been able to go back to Pherae tonight. As the former would usually say: 'you could collapse at any moment'! And while it was a mere, friendly jab, he also was rather serious about hoisting his stubborn friend over his shoulder and searching out the nearest place of rest from there.

And now, well, Hector became the appointed caregiver, as a direct order from his own conscience. Fixing the bed, preparing the appropriate medicine, (badly) cooking soup -- that's all on him. Matthew and Serra did offer to help, but Hector insisted on taking care of Eliwood directly, being the sort of person who felt comfortable when taking matters into his own hand. Besides, he's also afraid that Serra would inadvertently be a nuisance and make the cold even worse.

"It's..." Hector groaned. "It's food, I think. If I end up worsening his condition and giving a hundred more diseases with this mush, I'll never forgive myself."

"Nonsense, milord. I think you're being too hard on yourself, as this soup looks to be sufficient enough." Oswin took a whiff, and for a brief moment, one could see a wince in his usually stoic expression. "Your efforts, despite the mess, are commendable as well; I believe Lord Eliwood will really appreciate this."

"I hope so. I actually feared for my life here."

With the soup in both hands (and poor Oswin on cleaning detail), Hector made his way to one of the guest rooms upstairs, where he could already hear a few rough coughs. "Hold on, I'll be there!" He quickened his pace, and of course almost tipped the soup over several times as it sloshed about. At the very least, he seemed to be an ace at making it through efficient messes... which in hindsight, made more sense in his head.

He busted the door open with his shoulder seeing to how his hands were full, which unsurprisingly made Eliwood almost jump from his bed. "Soup's ready!" Hector exclaimed the obvious, presenting the soup in question with a pleased look on his face, then hurrying over to place it on the night stand (it may or may not have been slowly burning his fingers).

"Hector, you needn't worry about rushing here to my aid. I assure you, I'll be fine." Eliwood coughed again after trying to hold it the moment he spoke up. "Goodness, I heard your boots stomping against the ground that I had thought there was an emergency!"

"Yeah, the emergency is **you**." Hector folded his arms and huffed. "Don't go scaring me like that with all your coughing and sneezing. Here, now go eat!"

Eliwood blinked a few times in silence at the other's tone, but decided to simply smile and wave it off. He knew that Hector really cared for those who meant a lot to him, it's just that his brash personality didn't allow for sentimental mush or coddling -- goodness, not from this man. Hector knew how to express himself only through actions and verbally showing he wasn't weak, despite _wanting_ to to not come across as intimidating either.

That, and he knew how Hector didn't take even the slightest hint of an illness lightly. The very moment he could spot one, he was going to spring forward to stop it immediately, even taking measures that he wouldn't go about on a regular basis. Such as cooking soup.

"Herbs and carrots? This seems to be an... interesting way you mixed it here." Eliwood tried looking through the thick broth. Needless to say, it begged the question to where said carrots are. "But the steam is quite inviting for these sniffles I have here."

"Good. I, uh, suppose that's a compliment?" He still maintained a visible huff. "I tried looking up some nice recipes and it sounded like the best idea. And, erm, easiest. Now then, I'm going to go fetch you new a spoon because I forgot to-... _eh!?_ "

Eliwood seemed to already have a spoon, and thus he began helping himself to the soup. Though he didn't quite know that this was the same spoon that _Hector_ used to taste the broth himself. "Is... is something the matter? Were you saying something beforehand?" He couldn't help but take note of Hector's mouth agape and an odd blush forming across his cheeks.

"N-No, no, it's nothing! Don't worry about it!" _Damn it, what are you getting worked up for!?_ "Just, um... I forgot to put more spices in it. Thought it wouldn't taste very good otherwise, and whatnot."

"On the contrary, I quite like it the way it is!" He warmly smiled, and knowing Eliwood, his words must have been genuine. "I will admit that it's different and has a bit of a strong taste at first, but... mm, it's indeed good. Thank you, truly."

Hector breathed a noticeable sigh of relief as he slumped his back against the wall. It also helped that Eliwood wasn't gagging seconds into tasting the soup, so at least it seemed that something had worked through all that water spilling and tongue burning. "Heh, that's good to hear. Unless you're just trying to flatter me and not make me feel bad." Oh, he _saw_ how Oswin looked upon even just the scent.

"Goodness, perish the thought, Hector. I'd say you have some hidden talent when it comes to cooking. Well, at least for soup so far." He took another sip, relishing in his throat feeling a little more alleviated now. "Though I will admit that I grew somewhat concerned after hearing all those crashes and clanging below me. Hence why I sent Oswin to check up on you to make sure you hadn't hurt yourself."

"Wait, so you were the one who sent him?" Hector frowned. "I'm telling you, I was just fine! Took a bit of an aimless swing getting everything prepared, but I've figured my way out of a jam before, right?"

"True. But, I still didn't want you to get hurt on my behalf, Hector. Plus, I think anyone would take precautions on making sure the castle didn't get set on fire."

"... okay, I guess you have a point."

Hector eventually stopped the whole huffing demeanor and allowed himself to slowly approach the bed, then sitting by Eliwood's side. The latter happily shifted over to give more space.

"Still, I cannot thank you enough for being so diligent and attentive. I should also thank you for convincing me to not return to Pherae in this state."

"Of course. You were going to freeze to death out there." Hector's tone had calmed down, though maintained a stern demeanor. "I... I care a lot about you, yeah? That's obvious by now, or at least, erm... it _should_ be obvious. Don't tell me this is the first time you've heard this!"

"No, I'm... well aware, Hector. You needn't worry about that either. And there's no doubt in my mind that I equally care for you in turn." Eliwood couldn't help but look on with a certain admiration at the man who sat opposite to him. Even if it was never outwardly expressed, he knew that Hector held a particular soft spot hidden away from most others and reserved for not many, even towards himself or Lyndis. But, he supposed that's what made his friend so endearing in the first place.

Hector is a person known for, aside from being deemed a loud and reckless oaf, someone who dedicates their utmost loyalty to others -- someone who put the well-being of people before himself. He also had such a positive outlook on life, perhaps larger than it in general, and never allowed obstacles to deter his path. Even with the consequences of taking up Armads, that still didn't manage to slow him down.

Those reasons all contribute to why Eliwood held that admiration. And, well... even love him.

He suddenly began coughing again, however, this time it had seemed to be more hoarse in contrast to before. And without warning, Eliwood's body slowly tipped forward which prompted Hector to catch him in his arms.

" _Eliwood, are you okay!?_ "

"... H-Hector, I'm sorry. I-I'm sorry that I'm not strong enough to overcome this cold -- no. This... frailty of mine." Eliwood held onto him tighter, as his voice felt heavy. He was already aware of everyone else's prior concerns. "I _want_ to be stronger for everyone, and I _don't_ want to be a burden for those who already do so much for me, especially you. Please forgive me, Hector... I want to better myself... so that you wouldn't need to worry about me all the time."

A silence fell... though, only for a short while, as Hector immediately moved in to hug Eliwood close, not caring if he was going to get sick or whatever damned disease days later. That didn't matter now.

"Eliwood... you **are** bettering yourself, and you **are** strong. Don't let this cold make you think otherwise. No one expects anyone to overcome this within a night, and you having these shortcomings doesn't take away the strength you've had before. Especially with the incident that happened across Elibe years ago -- something you took charge in." He chuckled to himself. "Trust me, I know it's not all about physical strength. I can take a page from how you're able to compose yourself in the face of adversity, not letting anger get the better of you. Gods know I need to learn about that."

Hector took a breath, all the while ruffling through Eliwood's tuft of hair.

"So we're all going to learn from each other, and have each other's backs along the way. Sure, things like this can a damned mess, so we just keep pushing forward! No one's being a burden here." And just like that, Hector slowly lifted Eliwood's head to have their gazes meet, as he rested their foreheads together with a cheeky grin. "And this is hardly a burden for me. Not when I love you, dummy. Okay?"

It seemed difficult to respond on Eliwood's part. Not so much the cold, but the fact that he was turning beet red and stammering for words. "I-I, uh... Hector, I-"

"OMIGOSH!! KISS, KISS! Matthew, did you see if they kissed?!"

"Your hair's in the way, Serra. I can only see your hair."

And it looked like certain retainers to Marquess Ostia were peeking from the door to eavesdrop, ahem, check in on the two to make sure everything was okay. Which wouldn't be the case, as Hector also turned beet red and possibly emitting steam from his ears.

"SERRA, MATTHEW!! _**WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE!?**_ "

"Eeek! M-Matthew, protect me!!"

The two quickly ran off to escape the potential wrath of one Hector, looked about ready to find Armads himself. Fortunately, he managed to calm down shortly after. "E-Err... sorry about that, Eliwood. I let that one slip, and I figured that if I wanted to purposefully let it slip, it would've been in secrecy. Gah, I'm going to reprimand those two for ruining the moment for me..."

"Ahaha. Worry not about that, whether they know it or not. That doesn't matter now." Eliwood smiled, motioning for Hector to have their gazes return again. "What does, though, is that I love you too, Hector."

**Author's Note:**

> -Hey again, everyone! I know it's been a looooooong time (since last year huh) that I posted anything, and my previous fic with FE Heroes hasn't been continued. I do wanna get to it eventually, but for now I got some short drabbles along the way.  
> -Hector likely got sick after this, whoops :p


End file.
